Monica Bellucci is one of the thriving Italian model-turned-actress of the industry. Attuned to take up law as a profession, destiny played its role as young Bellucci soon realized her true calling as a model. A fashionista by heart, she started modelling as a part-time vocation to fill in for the monetary requirement to complete her legal degree. However, her life witnessed a new verve as she settled to make her part-time profession a full time vocation! Taking a leap further she relocated to Milan, Europe’s centremost fashion hub to pursue her modelling career seriously. In not time, she earned herself contracts with some of the top brands of fashion, namely, ‘Dolce & Gabbana’, ‘Christian Dior’ and ‘French Elle’. Acting ideally became the next big step which Bellucci took to make her mark in the world of showbiz. She started off with minor roles and was seen playing significant supporting roles in the heavy budget, big banner and super successful films like, ‘The Matrix Reloaded’, ‘The Matrix Revolutions’, ‘The Passion of Christ’, ‘Tears of the Sun’, ‘The Brothers Grimm, ‘The Sorcerer Apprentice’ and so on.

Her trysts in front of the camera started early at the age of 13. She posed for a local photo enthusiast. No sooner she gave up a legal profession to pursue modelling as a full time vocation.

As she started getting more modelling assignments, she No sooner she gave up legal profession to pursue modelling as a full time vocation.

In 1988, she moved to the epicentre of Europe’s fashion, Milan and signed a contract with the Elite Model Management. Within a year, she became a reputed name in the modelling circuit as she modelled in Paris and across the Atlantic in New York City.

During the peak of her career, she modelled for reputed and eminent fashions brands like, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior and French Elle. Furthermore, she appeared on the cover of various magazines including Esquire and Maxim.

Modelling career apart, she tried her luck as an actor as well and took up acting classes to polish her artistic skills. In the early 1990s, she began her film career. Initially she was seen in a couple of minor roles for films such as ‘La Riffa’ and ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’.

Year 1996 was a significant year in the career graph of this model-turned-actor as she tasted her first major success with the film, ‘The Apartment’. Her portrayal of the role of Lisa in the film earned her a Cesar Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Interestingly, she is fluent in Italian, French, English and Spanish, and has appeared in films speaking each of these languages, as well as in Aramaic for her part as Mary Magdalene in ‘The Passion of the Christ’.

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Over the years, she became popular worldwide for her roles in films like, ‘Malena’, ‘Brotherhood of the Wolf’, ‘Under Suspicion’ and ‘Irreversible’.

Acting apart, she has even done voice roles for French and Italian releases of the film ‘Shoot 'Em Up’ and for the video game ‘Prince of Persia: Warrior Within’, and for the 2005 animated film ‘Robots’.

From 2006 to 2010 she served as the face of a range of Dior products. While her modelling career in New York City is managed by Elite+, one in Milan is taken care of by D’management group. Storm Model Management takes care of her modelling assignments in London.

In 2012, she became the new face of Dolce & Gabbana.

In 2015, at the age of 50, she became the oldest Bond girl ever, when she portrayed the character of Lucia Sciarra in the James Bond movie 'Spectre'.

In 1997, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Cesar Awards for her role in the film ‘The Apartment’.

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In 2001, she recived a nomination in the category of Audience Award for Best Actress at the European Film Awards for ‘Malena’.

While Men's Health named her one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time", ranking her at No. 21, in 2002, she was ranked No. 1 on AskMen’s Most Desirable Woman list.

Her role of ‘Persephone’ in the Matrix series earned her the twenty-fifth spot in the ‘Sexiest 25 Characters in Cinema - The Women’ by the Empire magazine.

In 2003 she won a couple of nominations, beginning with Best Supporting Actress by Saturn Award for ‘Brotherhood for the Wolf’, Best Supporting Actress by David Di Donatello Awards for ‘Ricordati di me’, Best Female for Cinemascope Genre Face of the Future Award for ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ and ‘The Matrix Revolution.

Furthermore, she was nominated by the Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Female Breakout Star for the films, ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ and ‘Tears of the Sun’

In 2003 she won Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists award for Best Supporting Actress for the film, ‘Ricordati di me’.